Look Father
by mew-xena
Summary: Raven has to leave the TItans. How Will they act on her last day? Does she ever return? MUCH BETTER THEN IT SOUNDS! SLIGHT (very slight) BBRae


This is a one-shot I thought of! I hope you guys like it! I had to stop a few times because I couldn't see the keyboard because I was crying, but you guys might not find it that sad. So... read on!

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Raven grabbed a trunk from under her bed. It was a bottomless trunk and could holdas much asshe wanted. Raven sighed, and began to sort through her things. She was leaving the Titans, and they knew it. They couldn't understand why did Raven want to leave? A knock was heard on her door.

"Come in." Starfire entered. Her eyes were red and swollen, like she had been crying and her face had tear tracks

"Why Raven?" She croaked in a raspy voice. Why do you want to leave? Do you not enjoy our company anymore?" She stared to cry again.

Raven looked away. This wasn't how she wanted to remember Starfire. She wanted to rememeber the happy, innocent, strong, and sometimes dense teenage girl who was her friend, not this weepy, moping girl. Raven sat down next to her.

"Star, I can't stay. I can't put you guys all in jeopardy."

"But how Friend Raven? How could you put us in trouble? I am afraid that I do not understand."

"Just trust me Star." She looked at Star. "You do trust me, don't you?" Star looked away and Raven's heart sunk. "Star look at me. Look at me." Star hesitated, then looked at Raven's eyes. "Do you trust me Star?" Starfire searched her friends eyes, then nodded. She started to cry again.

"But Friend Raven, we shall all miss you!"

"I know Star, I'll miss you too. Horribly. But, please, be happy. I don't want to remember you like this. I want to remember you as you always are. Please Star, try to be happy, for me." A single tear dropped on Raven's clenched fists. Raven touched a shaking hand to her eyes, only to find them wet. She was… crying? She, the emotionless ice queen was crying? A second tear plopped down, followed by more. Star stared, her own tears long forgotten.

"Friend Raven?"

"To tell you the truth Star, I really don't want to go. I'd do anything not to. But I can't let you guys be hurt. I couldn't live with myself if you were hurt because of me. This… this the only way I can protect you. And so, I'll give you up. To protect you." And that's when she broke down. She sobbed into Star's shoulder. A lamp exploded behind them, but neither really noticed. They just sat there, and cried into each others arms.

"Star." Raven said when she pulled away. "Promise me this. You'll always remember me. Don't ever forget. Because if you forgot, that'd be the end. I know I'll always remember you." Starfire nodded.

"Raven, you are my best friend. I could never forget you." She got up and headed to the door.  
"Star?" She turned. "Thanks." Starfire smiled slightly and nodded. Then she left. Raven sat there for a moment, trying to dull her pain with nothingness. But she couldn't. All she could think about were Cyborg and Beast Boy's fights, Starfire's embarrassing questions, Robin's loyalty, Terra's sacrifice, her friends. She walked over to her photo album that Star had made for her. Sitting down, she opened it. There, staring right at her, was a group picture. It was when Terra was still with the team, and they were at the park. Beast Boy had his arms around Terra and Raven. Terra was giggling and Raven was actually smiling. Star and Robin were unknowingly holding hands and Cyborg was standing near the grill with an apron that said "Kiss The Cook". She smiled slightly and a few more tears escaped. Quickly closing the book, she slammed it into the bag.

When she finished packing, there was another knock at her door. She opened it slightly and Cy peeked in.

"Rae." He said. "We're all in the living room. Are you coming down?." Raven nodded.

"I'll be down in a minute."

They all sat in the living room, Raven, Star, Robin and Cy on the couch and Beast Boy on a chair. Just sat there. Doing nothing. No t.v, no video games, no nothing. Each Titan was lost his/her own thoughts. Until Raven sighed.

"You guys. Please don't do this. This isn't how I want to remember you."

"Gess." Beast Boy said. "That's real funny Rae. Real funny. Like you're gonna even remember us." Every one stared at him. Since when was he so mean? Raven looked hurt.

"What-" she started to say, but was cut off by Beast Boy.

"Don't you 'what' me! You're abandoning us. That alone shows how much you care!" He continued to put her down and release his anger. The rest of the Titans looked on in shock. Until Starfire became fed up, that is.

"Beast boy! I am ashamed of your behavior! Friend Raven is our Friend! How could you treat her thus?" Beast Boy stood up.

"Our friend? OUR FRIEND? A true friend wouldn't abandon us! A true friend would tell us why she's leaving! A true friend wouldn't WANT to leave!"

"Is that your though process Beast Boy? You truly believe Friend Raven wants to leave! I tell you, she DOES NOT!" Starfire screamed, standing up. Beast Boy was about to reply when he heard a strange sound. Raven was singing.

Her face was turned upward and her eyes were closed.

"_Look father." _she sang.

"_Look what you've done. Look what you've made. Look what you've created. Are you happy now? Are you ready now? Are you satisfied now?"_ Her voice wavered a bit. Starfire held her hand. Raven looked up and smiled slightly. Then she continued.

"_Look father._

_Look at what I am. Look at what I've become. Look at what you made me. Are you happy now? Are you ready now? Are you satisfied now?"_

She took a deep breathed and Robin and Cy walked around the couch to grip her shoulders gripped her shoulders. Her smile widened.

"_Look father._

_Look at my power. Look at my discipline. Look at my curse. Are you happy now? Are you ready now? Are you satisfied now?" _She looked over at Beast Boy, her eyes pleading. He stared deep into her eyes. He sighed, walked over, took her other hand and kissed it. Raven's eyes widened a bit, but she said nothing. The other Titans looked away, pretending to see nothing, but they were smiling. Beast Boy looked at her and whispered:

"I'm sorry." She nodded and continued singing.

"_But then look father._

_Look at my comrades. Look at my friends. Look at my blessings. I am happy now. I am ready now. I am satisfied now. Are you?_

_Father, I summon you. Come and look. Come and see. Come and count. Do my curses equal my blessings? Do you overpower my friends?"_

Her voice was high and clear. She smiled at her friends, Star sitting beside her, Robin and Cy behind her and Beast Boy Kneeling in front of her.

"_So come father. Come and judge. Come and see. Come and look. Are you happy now? Are you ready now? Are you satisfied now? My friends overpower all the nightmares. Am I yours now?"_

#$!#&())

Her friends all looked at her in amazement. She had a clear, beautiful voice. She smiled at them.

"And yet." She whispered. "And yet he still wins. Because I still must give up my blessings. I still must keep my curse. But in doing so, I protect these blessings. In doing so, I love them." She stood up and turned to her friends. "Protect my sacrifice. Protect my blessings. Protect my love. Don't give up. I'll be in your dreams, watching over you."

Her body started to shimmer and disappear.

"And remember me. If you remember me, I promise…" he voice was all that was left, and that too was thinning out. "I promise, I'll be back. Some day. Some how. When he's gone, and I'm free, I'll come back for you. Wait for me. Wait and remember."

Her voice faded out and the now four Teen Titans watched with tears streaming from their cheeks. They would remember. They would wait. They would be ready, for when she came back.

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Years later, they were still waiting. They were now the Titans, having dropped the Teen when Cyborg reached twenty. The others were still in their late Teens. They still celebrated Raven's birthday every year. No one talked about it, but inwardly, they celebrated. Celebrated and remembered. And on this day, years after she left, it was no particular day. Just a random day, another day or hoping, of waiting and of remembering. Starfire went out to get the mail, and she noticed a strange envelope in the mailbox. It was crisp and white. But that wasn't strange. What was strange was that it had a violet raven on it and it said:

**Teen Titans, my old friends**

**Titans Tower, my former home**

**Jump City, my former charge**

Star's heart quickened. There were only two people who could write that, and one was still locked up in stone. She flew quickly back to the house, forgetting all about the other mail in her hopes. She flew into the Tower, which had changed a bit.

"Friends! A letter! A letter!"

"So?" Changling (Beast Boy changed his name) said from his game. (Some things never change.) "We get letters all the time!"

"But Friend Changling! It is a letter from Raven!" The controller dropped from his hands.

"From… from Raven?" He didn't look like he believed. Robin and Cyborg, on the other hand were ecstatic. (Well, as ecstatic as guys can get.)

"Read it Starfire!" Starfire opened the envelope. Inside was a letter written on violet paper.

It read:

**Dear Teen Titans:**

**I miss you guys. You have no idea how hard it was to leave. I cried for weeks after. But I finally did it. I defeated him. And I'm coming back home.**

**Does Starfire still ask obvious questions? Do Beast Boy and Cyborg still argue over breakfast? Does Robin still obsess over Slade? Did you finally defeat him? Is Terra free yet? If not, I might be able to free her. I learned some pretty useful things in the Underworld.**

**I'm finally coming back. Have you guys been waiting for this moment? I know I have.**

**From your friend,**

**Raven**

Starfire finished reading the letter. There was a moment of silence. Everyone was too excited to speak. Finally a voice broke the silence.

"I missed you."

They turned around to find Raven, in all her glory. Her lavender hair was up in a ponytail and she had on a skin-tight full body outfit with violet armor. Her eyes twinkled.

"Did you remember me?"

!#$&(()&$#

_Look father,_

_Look at my life. Look at my friends. Look at what I've created. Now I'm truly happy. I'm truly ready. I'm truly satisfied. So father, thank you. For without all the darkness you surrounded me in, I could never have found my light. _


End file.
